War Maiden
by TechnocrontheVigilante
Summary: After the first attack against Ultron, great resistance is met and SHIELD tries to discover the virus that infected Rhodes, ending up horribly. Now it's up to Pepper and whoever's left to formulate a plan to stop Ultron before it's too late. Link to last chapter: /s/10881779/1/Rescue-Synthesis
1. Freeing Rhodes

War Maiden

Chapter One

That promise I made hasn't exactly kept me as strong as I'd hoped. Days of surgery and caring for almost thirty people, counting Tony, hasn't helped me. My body can't handle anymore stress, and I thought I couldn't before. But everyday I see Tony's dismembered and beaten body, and my resolve fades. I keep telling myself to not go back there; it's the curiosity that Tony will be okay someday with the help of technology somehow. Like I was. I keep hoping that he'll be all right, and I've ended up wrong every time. And there's only so many people available to help those in need. Today, some are going to help out Tony from what I've heard. Good. I visit the pool area to relax, and with my luck, there's one inside. I didn't feel like going outside because of Jacob and Tris. I make an effort to forget about everything, or at least try and relax. I go to the hot tub and turn it on, changing into my bathing suit and stepping in. A groan escapes me as I step in, sliding in deeper. I feel the bubbles and the heat soothing my slender, broken body. Seeping through the crevices, sliding the pieces back together. I groan again as my body begins to relax again, fading into a better place. Minutes pass, and no one comes by. Good. I want time by myself. I begin to fall asleep after a while, dreaming. I imagine myself back at home, waking up in my bed with Tony beside me this time. Tony rolls over to see me and he doesn't have his R.T. in his chest, neither do I. Our bodies perfect. No machines. No technology. No scars. "Hey." Greets Tony in a caring voice. Jarvis greets us both and tells us our duties. Tony and I stay in bed, gazing into each other's eyes. He caresses my hair and I slide my hand across the side of his body, feeling the muscle. "You look beautiful." Compliments Tony. I smile back at him and he smiles back. He slides his hand to my soft and luxurious lips. "When was the last time I kissed you?"

He slides a strand of hair out of my face, and I reply back in a soft voice. "Too long ago."

"We should fix that."

Tony and I lean forward, our lips pressed together. A gentle, slow kiss. Almost a minute now and the kisses are coming a little faster now. I feel the tingles electrocute my body like a power line, magnetizing me closer to him. I wrap my legs around his and he slides his hand across my leg with careful precision, at all the right spots. I whisper to Tony, softly. "I missed you so much."

Our bodies begin to press against each other like our kisses. Only our kisses are smothering our lips now. Tony's beard is gone, so I'm only kissing his lips. "I've missed you too."

Tony begins to slide his hand up and down my back, ever so gently. Our lips still slow and tender since we don't want to rush. Since we want to move slowly as the tingles electrocute our every being at a lighting-paced speed. Making each kiss even more alluring, more desirable. With even more passion. I comment to Tony, out of breath and captivated by my overwhelming lust. "When was…the last…time you felt…like this?"

I groan. Tony answers in the same fashion. "Every…time I see…you."

I laugh at his comment, breathing my cool, fresh breath onto his face. Tony doing the same. We continue kissing and the tingles begin to take over our body at a supernatural rate now, so our kisses are faster now. We have no control over our body since the tingles have enveloped our body. My heart vibrating against my chest and, since this is just a fantasy, I'm still here. Still here to enjoy the heavenly moment. Hours have passed by now, it seems. _Yes._ This is all I want right now. All that matters the most right now. _God, yes. Yes._ Our bodies pressed against each other as if we were one, and may just be now. Our shouts louder, more prominent now. Our kisses more intense. Our veins as visible as our skin. My heart pulsating at a pace that should've killed me by now. The tingles spiking throughout our bodies, so sharp you'd think they'd have broken out of our skin by now. I kiss his neck and he does the same. Moments later, we end up wrapped in each other's arms. Lost in another moment, catching our breath. "Beautiful day outside." Tony looks over my shoulder at the day outside. I turn my body to where I can see it. On the window, it says it's twelve o' clock. We woke up at ten. I see the sunlight outside, letting the sun fade through the window, into my face. "It is." I reply, at even more ease. Tony caresses my still perfect hair. In a fantasy like this, everything is perfect. In a fantasy like this, you're not worried about dying, or anything else. Or the sweat that came with our romantic affair. "Tell me you love me." I ask Tony softly. "I love you."

I turn back to him and respond back. "I love you, too."

I wake up to Coulson and three other people in the hot tub with me. Or a hot tub turned off, that is. Everyone's just getting out of the hot tub and Coulson stares at me humorously. "Good morning, Ms. Prune."

I chuckle and look at my non-wrinkled body. _Cybernetics._ I'll still take it as a joke, though. He extends his hand to help me out of the hot tub and I accept his offer for help. "How long was I in there?" I ask.

"Three hours."

_Wow._ I smile back and Coulson points out. "I'm guessing you're wondering why you didn't short out in the hot tub. What with your cybernetics."

"I am, actually."

He crosses his arms and remarks jokingly. "It was because everyone needs a little time to relax, to take their mind off of their problems. So we started making waterproof technology so we could still be in pools and tubs without shorting out. Plus, it's more secret that way."

_Secrets.._ It doesn't faze me like I thought it would. Maybe I _have_ been in there for three hours, lost in my dreamscape. Didn't even feel like that long, though. Coulson points out another thing. "And you'd be glad to know Tony's alive and well."

I should daydream more often. But it's going to be weird seeing him as he is with a prosthetic eye. And his other isn't. He leads me to his _Recuperation Room, _as he calls it. Tony's room is right next to another room with an aquarium with all sorts of fish inside. I go into Tony's room and he looks normal. His eye does, too, somehow. I walk closer to him and I hold his hand. He looks at me with lonely eyes. No doubt his mind isn't in good shape right now. His mental state must've deteriorated after finding out Rhodes was Ultron. About everything. He doesn't relax like I do, and he doesn't take a break like I do. His lips form my name and Coulson leaves the room, giving me time. "It's going to be all right, Tony." I try to reassure. He wiggles his fingers in his new hand in mine. "Still works." Jokes Tony.

I smile for his sake and I ask Tony. "How are you feeling?"

"Been better."

I remove my hand from his and I run my fingers through his hair, continuing. "You will be. Just remember, there is a thing called 'relaxing.'"

Tony looks at me blankly. That's probably the last thing on his mind. Then I remember Hank's Ultron-Bots. How those could become active. Six-hundred of them. And another Ultron. Maybe we could use Hank's Ultron to save Rhodes… _Worth a try. _"I'm sorry, Pepper."

"There's nothing to apologize for. Everything's all right."

Tony's voice gets a little louder. "It's not. I should've saved Rhodes when I had the chance. Stopped him before he got involved with Hammer."

"Tony, you need to rest."

Tony strikes back in a quieter voice. "I've slept enough."

He sits up from his table and removes all the wires connected to him. As he stands, his movement is wobbly at first. New kneecaps. He must've remembered what happened with me and takes his own advice to learn how to adjust to this. He must've gotten new legs, too. Along with his regular body. And a new arm. I find myself laughing to myself silently as I think of the irony. Half-man, half-machine. It's like it's what he's always wanted. Almost. Just not like this. I'm sure he'd have preferred it differently in other circumstances, thinking Iron Man was enough. I make way to Hank Pym and inform him of what I've come up with, assuming he knows of how to purge Rhodes of the virus. "Well, what happened to Rhodes is too complex. Me, along with others, are trying to crack the code."

We're in a spacious lab with twelve other workers aside from Hank. One shouts that they might've cracked the code, and when Hank and I both make our way to him, the screen begins to fill up with window after window. Next thing we know, the computer turns to a black screen with red coding. As it fades, all the computers in the lab shut off. Might've been a base-wide thing. Now it may seem Ivan knows where to find us. And so does Rhodes… The room fills with confusion and some profanity. I call Coulson as I exit the room, telling him about what I've learned, and I see my phone isn't working either. I decide to do this the old-fashioned way, asking people where I can find Coulson. After about five tries, I spot Coulson by the corner of my eye. I shout his name until I get his attention and he rushes towards me, shouting. "Just what the hell is going on here?"

The entire base seems to be in panic. Controlled, but still in panic. As I'm about to explain, a Repulsor blast fires our way, knocking Coulson through a metallic wall. I hesitate to rescue him as I try to process what's going on. _Ultron's here._ I transform into my suit and go through the hole in the wall, avoiding the other blast. As I go into the next room, I find Coulson was blown through a bevy of medical equipment. Either knocking it down or taking it with him. I fly towards his bloody body and know there's nothing I can do to save him right now. I scream his name, crying under my helmet. Next thing I know, Ultron-bots are flying through the floor and through the roof. Looks like either Ivan or Ultron got a hold of them. Hopefully it's just the three-hundred here…

I think of Tony and locate him on my map, flying towards him, if it weren't for Ultron smashing me against a wall. I get a look at his armor. Simple. Metallic. Antennas on the side of his helmet. Red eyes. A giant mouth with red energy inside, vibrating every time he speaks in a dark and robotic voice. "Goodbye, Ms. Potts."

The energy inside his mouth lights up like he's about to fire, and Iron Man flies through a wall, taking Ultron with him. _Tony.. I can't lose you again._

I fly his way and when I go through the hole, I find the SHIELD Base has been completely compromised. I'm in the Main Quarters of the base with levels upon levels of floors are available. Elevators everywhere. And the Ultron-bots flying everywhere, blasting at random at innocents. I fly as fast as I can to someone to try and rescue them before anymore people die. As I reach someone, I watch an Ultron-bot blast them in two. I make my way to the Ultron-bot instead and punch it as hard as I can in the mouth, ramming into it at max speed. And then I remember what Hank said about Vibranium. How my efforts to destroy the bot was useless. It retaliates and blasts a mouth beam at me, shooting me three floors up and stopping when I hit a metal roof. _Forget them. Remember the others._ I'm pretty sure Hank's aware of this by now, or maybe not. Or else he would've shut these things down. I reach someone and I get lucky, flying them out of the base and telling them to get away from here.. _Tony._ I return to the catastrophe of a base and Tony is battling the Ultron-bots. He's not fairing that well. _Damn it Tony, if I lose you again…_ I fly towards him, and at arm's reach, Ultron flies into me and shoots beams from his boot, knocking me down even further. "TOONNYY!" I scream as the Ultron-bots take the battle out of sight. I hit the metallic ground with a thud, leaving a dent. Ultron lands with an even bigger one. Even if my armor was built to withstand damage, I still feel like I've broken some bones. My armor scraped. Some armor parts missing, and my face plate scratched. "Virginia Pepper Potts…" Ultron continues blandly. "You should consider this a moment of triumph."

He kicks me to my side and puts his foot on my throat. "You will be one of the many that have already been relieved of the human condition. Humanity is flawed. And you deserve extinction."

He steps on my face plate too many times, kicking my temple and knocking off the face plate. After the first blunt blow, I felt my face plate caving in to my face, breaking my nose. After the fifth blow, he had already delivered more than enough pain. I roll on the floor, screaming, my eyes closed. Seeing Coulson shot, his dead body. Tony being attacked again. All those people I couldn't save. Ultron grabs me by the throat and picks me up as looks at me in the eyes. "You deserve nothing less."

He begins to crush my throat, slowly. My screams ceased, my mind breaking, my breath cut off. My eyes widening and I'm helpless, yet again, to stop this threat. At least, this time it makes sense. Vibranium armo-Hank didn't make him, though. Tony must've done considerable damage to him, but he's healed it back. Another thing to add to the list of impossible. When I think it's all over, Ultron's grip lessens and I try to catch my breath. Ivan's voice comes over the voice box. "Great day to die, no?"

His voice like poison to me. "What the hell do you want, Ivan?" I strike back.

"Revenge."

I try to pry Ultron's dirty, metal hands off of me and Ivan continues. "Do you know why? Ms. Potts?"

I try kicking Ultron and it's useless. "I bet they told you everything. Good. And I'll have you know, it is all true."

I look around for Tony, to see if he's still alive, nothing yet. "One day, you will feel what I felt. You in league with Tony Stark, and I will make sure, that I kill you."

He has a distinct Russian accent, and his English is actually pretty good. It doesn't help that what he's done is unforgivable. "Say goodbye to what little you have left."

He's done talking now, and Ultron resumes to suffocating me again. As the life is about to leave me, Ultron's grip falters a little. I had closed my eyes to wait for the inevitable, to wait for death. Instead, I see Ultron's red turning blue for a split second, then returning to red. _Oh my god. _I don't even know what to feel or what to believe right now in this moment of confusion and death. Thousands are dead, and Tony's very likely one of them. The red switches to blue again, this time, for a little longer. _Rhodes, I swear, you're still in there. _I bet Ivan is enjoying this. That's the only thing I can count on right now to bring me confidence. I scream Rhodes's name as loud as I can with Ultron's hand at my throat. When it comes out, Ultron begins to squeeze a little harder. "There is no Rhodes anymore."

I keep trying to pry Ultron's hand open, and I keep failing. Ultron's hellbent on popping my head off of my shoulders like a grape. The blue keeps turning colors, and I keep switching between life and death in seconds notice. One second I'm gasping for air; the next, the chilling sensation someone feels when they've lost their breath, when they're afraid of what it'll be like once you die. And there's nothing you can do. My heart keeps dropping. My stomach twists. My eyes nearly lifeless when I think I'm going to die. The tears incessant and my mouth quivers every time I try to scream Rhodes's name. That's all I can do right now. When the red turns blue for about five seconds, Rhodes's voice booms through the speakers and I'm losing my mind, shouting his name in excitement as he's gone again. Ultron throws me onto the ground and I try to fly away, but Ultron decides to pick me up and beat me senseless. In-between gaps, I keep shouting that name. The pain; emotional, physical, and mental, is too much for my body to bare. The tears are coming even faster, even more painful now. There's nothing I can do to stop Ultron; however, who's breaching his systems? _Kelsey._ Ultron delivers a punishing blow to my stomach, enough times to penetrate the armor. As if the first wasn't enough. The colors don't change anymore as it seems Ivan has full control now. _Great day to die, no? _Right now, I'd wish I was still being suffocated. It'd be less painful. My screams are quieter now since I'm closer to dying. Ultron rips apart my chest plate and I scream at Rhodes with ferocity and utmost heartbreak. "DAMN IT RHODES! LISTEN TO ME!"

_Say goodbye to what little you have left. _Ultron grabs hold of my R.T., threatening to rip it out like he did Tony. I scream more profanity at Ultron, resorting to hitting him as Ultron grabs my fist, rips apart my glove, grabbing it again and crushing my human, vulnerable hands. Before Ultron rips out my R.T., I whisper to myself to Tony. "I love you, from the bottom of my heart."

I look away and close my eyes, waiting for the worst. Then it all stops. "Pepper." I hear Rhodes's voice. I look at him, waiting for Ultron to snap back. He doesn't. Rhodes begins to shed his armor and back to his normal self. In his underwear. I make for a hug and cry my eyes out even more, happy that it's over. Rhodes is laughing at being free again, laughing at the freedom. His laughter makes me laugh, too. Rhodes apologizes multiple times for trying to kill me and everyone else, and when he asks about Tony, I get quiet. A wounded Nick Fury with Hank Pym's arm around his shoulder comes towards us. Their clothes tattered. Nick Fury puts a hank on his chest, taking time to take a breather. He shouts order at us. "We need to relocate. Follow us."

And Nick sees Rhodes, looking at him in a face that shows he's not sure what exactly to think about this. "But first thing's first: Rhodes, get some clothes."

Nick leads Rhodes to follow him and I takeover carrying Hank. His voice breaking in random parts of his sentences. "I tried to…stop it. They went…rogue before I could. I got a hold of…Protocol 55...minutes ago."

That's one less thing to worry about. No Ultron-bots. After a period of time, we take Nick's lead and aboard the jet, making way to another refuge.


	2. Relocating

_Chapter Two_

From random woman to assistant at Stark Industries. From assistant to CEO. To CEO to Damsel in Distress. From Damsel in Distress to a hopeless woman looking for a way to break out of this fold she's found herself in. I find myself looking in a mirror at times, looking at my R.T., sliding my fingers through the crevices, remembering how it felt the last time I ran my fingers across the metal structure. I remember how I used to cry, how I was so easily broken by violence. There are no tears anymore. And I don't know what to think about my mental state, or how I feel about violence now. I take time to think about much my life has changed. I wanted to Rescue, and I needed someone to save me, too. Save me from encountering all the conflict I've faced. _You have Rhodes. You have Hank. You have Nick Fury. Be glad about that._ Rhodes I'm more proud of. Hank is a little weird, but an essential addition to the team since he knows how Ultron works. And he told me Ultron can jump bodies to a new version, returning even worse than last time. Hank used that idea in case one model failed to protect and was somehow destroyed in battle. He goes on to say that Ivan's Ultron eventually became self-aware and growing smarter. I tell him about how Tony might've done considerable damage to Ultron, and that it healed itself. Hank says that the machine must've learned from the Ultron-bots, hacking their systems to learn more about how they operated. When Rhodes was rescued, it jumped to Hank's Ultron. Ultron 2.0, he says. But he came up with a contingency plan in case something like this ever happened. An Anti-Ultron Armor for Iron Man…he's dead now, though. We could just reinvent him with technology, but I've grown tired of using technology to bring people back from the dead. As much as I want to see Tony again, it's not the same with his reinvented limbs. He's not what I remembered.

Next is Nick Fury. Only thing I know about him is that he kept a secret from me that I should've known. When we reach the new base, I see it's smaller from the outside but I'm guessing it's bigger on the inside. Unless it's a miniature bunker for retreat. A woman with red hair and black pants, jacket, and sunglasses awaits at the helipad. Hank asks. "Who's that?"

Nick parks the jet on the pad and answers back. "Natasha Romanov. The others are inside."

"Others?"

"The Avengers."

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't know if the Avengers will be enough to stop Ultron. But I'll have to see for myself. I have to say, though, I feel a little safer that they're there. Nick must've told them to relocate there with us so we could formulate a plan, I guess. When we step out of the jet, Natasha greets us and she asks me. "Where's Tony?"

I turn to her with loss in my eyes, and she frowns at the ground, responding. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Hank stays with me and Natasha as Nick enters the base. "What happened?" Asks Natasha. Hank explains the situation and Natasha shakes her head in agreement, walking away. Hank and I look at each other and Hank comments. "We'll stop Ultron. Eventually."

I trust him. I really do. It's his creation anyhow. It's the matter of the ever-evolving machine aspect that frightens me. When I enter the compound, I find it really is smaller. And not everyone is in one room. Probably spread out throughout the base. Bruce Banner is in the first room I walk in, talking to a scientist. Bruce sees me and tells the scientist he'll talk to him later. He walks towards me and shakes my hand, greeting me. "Good Evening."

I feel relief when he doesn't call me Ms. Potts. Wouldn't have minded if he had called me Ms. Prune. "So, you're a machine now, is that right?"

He must've been notified by someone. Coulson, maybe? Couldn't be Fury. He'd have kept it to himself. Bruce scratches his head. "Well, that's new."

"Yeah."

Seconds later, I ask him. "Did they tell you about what happened?"

Hank was talking to someone, I guess, and meets up with me again. Bruce replies confusingly. "No. What happened?"

Hank explains again and I join in at certain parts as Bruce answers back after a while of registering this. "Pepper,"

His voice careful, scared. "I think it'll take more than the Avengers."

I take a few steps back, trying to catch my breath. To recover from the hit I just took. Hank goes on to say. "We'll work together on an Anti-Vibranium suit." He doesn't sound so sure, and I don't blame him. "Vibranium _can_ be broken, though." Adds Hank.

I feel a glimmer of hope inside, and then I remember that he can jump bodies. "What'd we supposed to do when we stop him?"

Hank's face turns grim again, getting quiet. Bruce looks at the table he has his hand on, taking some breaths. We don't know what to do. We don't know how to stop him. What are we supposed to do? Even these two geniuses can't figure it out. I can't handle anymore of this, so I head out of the room. Trying to think where I can go for comfort. To think where I can relax. This is a new place for me, so I don't know where to go. But I end up hearing Nick talking to someone in a room. Closed off. I stop and listen for a while. Couple of minutes later, the talk stops and I move away from the door before it opens. I try to act quietly so he won't notice me, but he can hear my breathing and he turns his head my way. Looking at me angrily. "You heard it, didn't you?"


	3. Preparing To Fight

What with all I've experienced lately, and the fact that I'm going to die at the hands of an unstoppable machine, I'm too weak to speak back. Nick's smart enough to finish the puzzle himself. "Why are you here?"

"To relocate." I strike back weakly.

He walks closer to me. His eye glaring at me, penetrating my skull. "Why are you here?"

He points his finger to the door, and then lets it fall. "I wanted to find somewhere to relax."

"Well, this isn't a spa resort. So you're at a loss there."

I look at him furiously and painfully. "How can you say that?"

He squints at me. "What were you talking about in there?"

He breathes a sigh of relief. "Good. So you didn't hear _everything_."

I repeat and then Nick answers dryly. "It's classified."

I get tired of this all and then I shout back at him. In a voice that screams with power and hatred. "Enough with classified! Tell me!"

Nick was about to walk away, and then he stops in the tracks, slowly turning back to me and his eye penetrates my skull even more. Cracking it wide open. "Don't talk back to me."

I feel so drained I can't speak anymore, and then Nick takes a deep breath, walking back to me. Recovering in a calmer voice. "Look, I'm sorry."

_I'm sorry._ I never expected him to say anything like this, but he must be considering what I've gone through. What he's gone through. He puts his hands on his hips, looking up at the roof and then he looks at me. "I was talking to the council. Advising that I get this, _Ultron,_ mess under control. If we can't, then they're going to destroy SHIELD."

I guess the Ultron-bots are attacking the city, along with Ultron. Or the attack on the other SHIELD Base. He sighs disappointingly, and he goes on to say. "And we're outgunned. Outmatched."

He doesn't cry, but he looks like he would. He sighs again and then he walks away. I lean against a wall, too weak to even breathe. Hank comes from around the corner and Nick talks to him. Probably telling about what he told me. When it's done, Hank frowns at the floor and rests his hand against the wall. Rubbing his hand with his face. He looks up to see me and then he walks towards me hurriedly. On the way to me, he shouts. "We need to do something. Now."

I follow him and we go through a series of hallways, ending up facing a wall as he puts his hand on a control panel, opening up as a capsule comes out, revealing the suit. Male and female. Anti-Ultron suit. "Did you anticipate this?"

"Not in a time like this. I started the suit here but never got to it at the other. Was making those damn Ultron-bots."

He grits his teeth and kicks the wall with his shoe, running his fingers through the hair. I try to reassure him and he shouts back. "You didn't make all those-"

People start to stare at us and then Hank stops himself. The hallway grows dangerously quiet. As if we just heard Ultron fly over us. "I'm sorry."

I run my fingers through the female suit. I ask. "Why would you need a female War Machine?"

Female War Machine is the best word for it. But it doesn't have a mounted gun nor a helmet. A cheek guard. Probably has a mask to come down. "Gotta be prepared. And of course, it wasn't meant for you, at first. Other operatives in SHIELD."

"Like Tony would allow it." I joke.

_Tony._ I shed a tear at the thought and then I think of Coulson. Everyone who died at the hands of Ultron. Glad I have Rhodes, at least. Then I remember the two masseuses, who I had completely forgotten about. They're unlike anything compared to now. But they're the ones responsible for making me a machine. _Synthesis. One With the Machine._ I can stop them unless Ultron kills them first. He may already have. "Tony wouldn't need to allow it." Hank smiles back.

I knock on the armor and Hank continues. "Vibranium _could_ penetrate Vibranium if the punch was hard enough. I've tested it. And as for the body jumping…"

He takes a deep breath. His face is dark. "We'll need to take out what we can when we can. We'll need to be prepared for anything."

I nod. It's the only thing we can do right now. The bots and Ultron himself will probably be too smart for Protocol 55 anymore. I look at Hank with fear, questioning. "And what if we can't?"

Hank's face turns even more grim, but then vanishes as grief replaces it moments later. He looks up from the floor to me. "Then I'll tell everyone what I've done. And get ready for the worst."

I hug him instantaneously and beg him. "I can't let you do that!"

"What else am I supposed to do?!"

I try to make it better, but I can't. We're already dying. And Ultron's not even here. I force myself off of him when Hank reminds me. "We need to act now and find Ultron before it's too late."

I shake my head for approval and then Hank asks nervously. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

I hold my hand in the suit's hand, clenching it tightly and then answering with fear and disgust. "I'm more than sure."

I frown at the floor a little bit, answering back again. "I'm tired of being the Damsel in Distress."

I sound more than crazy, I'm sure. Hank shows it in his face. His eyes. "This isn't a good way to go at it."

"I know it's not." I correct. "But I have to help."

Hank inhales the situation deeply, exhaling it and then rubbing his face again. When he removes his hands, he continues. "Well, the suit's here. So I can't argue much here."

He takes another deep breath and then he remarks. "I'll contact the Avengers."


	4. An Old Friend Returns

Hank had made a suit for each of the Avengers, even for Hulk. But it'll stretch out when he hulks up. The suits all resemble the themes for each of the Avengers, and still keep the same idea. Black Widow's here with Ant Man. And Hawkeye. Thor and I are flying outside the Quinn Jet since we don't need to fly in the Jet. Hank walked me through how the suit worked, and it took some time. By the time Hank was finished, Ultron hacked the systems in the base, and probably everywhere else, telling everyone about how humanity is flawed. And how it has to be destroyed. Typical stuff. People managed to track him down and we were all sent out to die. This is suicide. I know it. But with our suits, we'll hope for the best. Hank reminds all of us about what we're up against, and what we'll need to do. I half-listen, half-don't. I close my eyes and imagine myself flying through the city in my Rescue suit. When everything was simpler. How I felt so free. I remember the lights on the city with me being high up in the sky. Tony's careless remark about how he didn't care about the lights. Him getting bored after a while. I laugh to myself at the memory of him.

Hank is calling my name and then Steve chimes in. I snap out of my gaze and I ask. "What?"

"We're reaching Ultron."

Bruce jokes. "Or his bots, anyway."

"For now." Remarks Steve.

We reach the city and four bots can be seen laying waste to buildings. Firing at citizens at random still. "The bots won't be as strong as Ultron. But be cautioned." Reassures Hank.

They would've landed on the ground, and then some bots shoot them down. When they crash to the ground, the bots keep firing and Thor and I attack them. Thor gives a punishing whack of his hammer against a bot, knocking off its head. I fly towards one and step on its head as it slides across the floor, blasting it off. This doesn't sit well with me. And I don't to do any of this. But I have to do something. After this, should we succeed, I'll try to forget all of this. Try to re-adjust to normal life. But for now, I have to fight. The people get out safely, what with the suits and all. Hulk breaks open the Jet, which was already destroyed anyway. We meet up and then, to our disbelief, knowing he was dead, wondering how he survived the attack at the SHIELD Base, Iron Man flies by and stops. Joking. "Sorry. My armor got impounded and I had to pay it off."

Everyone ends up snickering, including me. "You wouldn't believe what I had to pay for it."

I go towards him and hug him tightly. I begin to cry out tears of joy and Steve asks. "I thought you were dead?"

Hank adds. "You were fighting those drones at the SHIELD Base."

"Electromagnetic Pulse."

I remove myself from him and my helmet fades, revealing my face. "Why didn't you come back to me?"

Tony takes a deep breath, revealing his face, too. "Because I was busy trying to make a suit for these guys."

He sees all of us and remarks regrettably. "Looks like I got the wrong one."

Steve knocks on the armor, hard. "Should be enough."

He looks at me and continues shockingly. "I wouldn't expect you in that."

I look at myself and I remember I'm in my _War Maiden_ armor. "Want to take down Ultron that bad, huh?"

"Yeah." I say with a nod. Steve chimes in. "Keep as many citizens safe as possible and keep those drones away from the innocents."

We all agree and Tony and I both put our helmets back on. Seconds later, Steve demands. "Me, Natasha, and Clint will go on foot."

He looks at me and Tony now. "You two take out any drones you see."

He points at Hank, looking at him. "You do the same as well as you can."

He nods his head and then orders Hulk to do whatever he wants with them. And then we go off. I feel good knowing Tony's back, and we fly together side-by-side. And we prepare for when we will fight Ultron.


	5. The Battle Against Ultron

"So, ever heard of Shawarma?" Remarks Tony.

I chuckle as he blasts apart a drone. "Yes. Countless times."

I hear something behind me and I turn around, seeing more than one drone. "Behind you!" I shout back at Tony. He looks and then insists. "Follow me."

We fly upwards, dodging the blasts of the drones and when we reach the sky and then we watch the drones freeze, falling to the ground. "Attack!"

He flies towards a drone and I do the same. Shattering them as chunks of ice fall to the ground. My mind's blown, and then I shout back. "How did you-"

"Let's just say I was doing an experiment."

Then it hits me. What if the drones, including Ultron, have a shared memory pool that allows all units to adapt to a drones' mistake? I doubt it. But I wouldn't expect any less. "Let's keep going." Implies Tony.

Tony informs the team of this, and Hank answers back, perplexed. "What?"

"Was an experiment."

Steve chimes in. "Good. Let's use it against Ultron when we have the chance. That's to say he'll give us a chance."

Tony and I fly by Hulk who throws some drones through a building, leaping towards them to destroy them. "You missed a spot!" Corrects Tony.

Without warning, more drones come towards us and Ant Man comes by with some ants going inside the drones. Supposedly eating the circuits and destroying them. Ant Man's the size of an ant as my HUD locks in on him. He salutes us and flies away. Maybe he _is_ more useful than I thought. Next thing I know, Ultron flies into me and slams me inside of a building. Tony calls my name and fires a mouth blast at him, knocking him away. I punch her and Ultron grabs my fist, crushing it again, but is less painful. This time. "You've adapted." Points out Ultron. "So can I."

I shout for help and Ultron smashes my face through the floor. I try to kick him off of me and I slightly manage it. He's still on top of me and then Iron Man comes back to the battle. Ultron hears him and turns his head around without moving his body, firing his mouth blast again. Iron Man dodges it and he complains to Ultron. "If you're so high and mighty, then come get me."

He flies upwards, and Ultron flies towards him. Ant Man comes by, transforming back to his usual size and helping me up. Asking. "All right?"

"Yeah." Only slightly meaning it. I head to the hole through the building, looking up to Tony. _C'mon Tony._ When he comes back down, it's him who is shot back down. I shout Tony's name and I fly towards him. Thor joins me and Ultron flies down to Tony's body. Thor whacks Ultron with his hammer, dismembering him and as he slides across the ground, he regenerates his limbs and broken pieces back together so effortlessly and so fast it makes things even worse. Looks like the plan is a failure. Steve comes by, accompanied by the others, and throws his shield at him. Ultron grabs it and throws it back. He dodges it and goes to retrieve his shield. Hawkeye fires an EMP Arrow and Ultron melts it with his blast. "Crap." Complains Clint.

Hulk falls from the sky and throws some drones at Ultron. He goes on to attack him, smashing him into the ground and then the machine kicks him in the stomach, which is armored, slightly knocking him back. While he is slightly distracted, Natasha sneaks up behind the machine, grabbing the side of his helmet and sending out an electromagnetic pulse. The Dark Drone head butts her repeatedly, busting her nose and breaking her skull. The last one knocks her to the ground. Groaning. Unable to go back into the fight. Clint goes to her as Iron Man fires his Unibeam at him. _We're all outmatched._

The Unibeam doesn't do much damage, and Ultron flies towards him, beating him up with his fists, grabbing his helmet and sliding his fingers through it, crushing it. Thor smashes him with his hammer again; this time, with combos. The drone grabs the hammer, head butting him and kicks him away, trying to pick up the hammer but unable to. Steve uses this to his advantage as he's occupied. He uses his shield to behead him. Ultron turns around, backhanding him and using his shield for this, sending out vibrations that reverberate the buildings and the streets. Clint tries to fire his arrow again and Ultron grabs it, exploding in his face. I fire a Repulsor blast at him, knowing it won't be any good, but it's worth something.

Steve keeps swinging away with his shield and then Thor calls his hammer back to him. He uses it as a shield to keep from Ultron hitting him. Hulk smashes him to the ground again and the machine grabs Hulk's fist, jerking him to the ground and elbowing his Atoms Apple enough times to knock his breath away. Ultron maneuvers past the hammer, smothering Thor's face with his hand, his hand glowing with red energies and melting his face off. I hide behind a wall out of fear, unable to do anything about any of this. I peek around the corner to see Ultron shatter Steve's shield, continuing to punch his face twice and blasting his face with his mouth blast. Iron Man puts him in a headlock, transferring all his power to a Unibeam, firing through him. I think he may have even upgraded his technologies for Ultron in mind, but I doubt it'll be good enough.

However, he quickly tries to rip out the wires and he refuses to give up. I can hear guttural screams coming from him as he tries to remove the wires. Hulk eventually recovers and helps out Iron Man. Hulk smashes Ultron and tries to grab the wires, yanking them out. Tony's armor is terribly damaged, bleeding, and Hulk is beginning to bleed. His armor is breaking apart, too. Clint and Hank watch in anticipation. Me unable to keep the fear inside. And in one swift action, as soon as Hulk is about to yank out the wires, they send out an electrical current that electrocutes him. He takes a few steps back and fails to yank out the wires. Tony joins in and tries to finish what Hulk started. I can't take this anymore and I try to help. I'm the least damaged of the group, along with Hank and Clint. When Tony's blasted away, I take over. I release a blade from my gauntlet and I'm about to slice the wires when they return inside of the machine, regenerating the hole. He grabs my blade and rips it off, jabbing my Arc Reactor into my R.T..

My breath leaves me for a while, and I look in Ultron's eyes with fear and in pain. "Humanity is flawed. And will be destroyed." He reminds.

He kicks me aside and I see Ant Man has had enough of this. Enough of holding back. He grows to a giant and smashes Ultron with his fist, grabbing him and struggling to rip him apart. When he had smashed the machine, he destroyed the building we were in. So I can watch the events unfold. When he finally rips him apart, he throws the parts to the ground, stepping on one piece and then the next as many times as he can. Making craters with his feet. He could've just done that from the beginning. And I remember he doesn't like violence the same way I do.

Tony's bleeding out, along with Hulk. Hank shrinks down to normal size and heads to Hulk with Clint. Me holding Tony's hand, telling him to hold on a minute longer until we can get him some help. I don't want to lose him again. I can't lose him again. Tony runs his fingers through my R.T. and insists. "Save yourself."

Guess more of my R.T. has to be damaged or I'm hanging on more than I thought. Tony does make an effort to stay together a little longer, and what are we going to do with Bruce? He's just a man, and unlike Tony, he wouldn't be able to hold on long enough with his bleeding out. Thor. Steve. Natasha. They're dead. Hulk's going to die soon, too. Tony's on the verge of dying. I am, too. And Hank irresponsibly decided to act when everyone was dying. His face shows more grief than humanly possible, and he begins to shed some tears. I clench Tony's hand tightly, barely able to breathe. Tony repeats what he said and I try to talk back. "No, no. I love you. I can't do this."

I run my fingers through his cheeks after Ultron had forcibly ripped off his face plate. Tony holds my hand, running his thumb through my palm. "I love you."

I look at him, revealing my face, the tears falling down my face. "I love you, too."

I put my hand on his R.T., apologizing. "I'm sorry I was no use." My words barely audible.

He runs his fingers through my cheek, reassuring. "You did what you could."

"We need to get him to help." Insists Hank. I nod my head and I carry him. Tony strikes back. "Don't. Don't!"

I spit back. "I have to!"

He looks in my watery eyes, and I have enough trouble breathing as is. "Leave me here." Urges Tony.

Clint demands. "We've wasted enough time."

After enough time passes, Clint asks. "But how am I going to get back to base?"

"Call for transport." Urges Hank. "And get out of here before Ultron comes back."

And just as he says that, we hear a voice from behind us. "There is no gadget you can create. No man or woman you can bring me that I can't decimate. There is no city I can't destroy," Reminds Ultron.

I had forgotten that the drones are still attacking the city, and we found that Ultron was a considerably bigger threat. But innocents are dying now. And it's all because of us… Ultron pieces himself back together, standing up firmly and staring at us, grimly. "There is nothing you can do to stop me, Hank Pym. I am your greatest creation. Your greatest mistake. You, like Humanity, is flawed. And so am I."

I stare at him confusingly. He's flawed, too? But how? I look at Hank with concern as Ultron remarks. "You haven't told them, have you?"

Hank's face breaks even more as Ultron goes on to explain. "I didn't jump bodies. I evolved past your programming. I am Ultron, and you,"

He's about to fire a Repulsor blast at him, and he finishes as fear strikes in us all. "Will be destroyed."

He fires the blast at him and Clint pushes him aside, taking the blunt of the blast, firing a hole through his chest and through Hank. Falling to their death. My legs get so weak I fall to my knees. Sobbing. There's nothing we can do. And he's right. I look up, waiting to be destroyed, too. But he drops his hand to his side and the screams stop almost instantly. All he wanted was Hank's death? No, he wanted his death and more. "You, will die later, Ms. Potts. You are not indicated as a threat."

As if everything that's happened wasn't enough, but I'm looked upon as _weak_ again. This time, it makes sense. This time, it's even worse. He then leaves the scene unaffected. Leaving me to die. Leaving Tony to die. _Tony._ I look down at Tony who has bled out. I call Nick Fury with the communicator in my helmet. Half-breathless. Half-dying. He acknowledges and tells me he's on his way. My body, inside and out, burning intensely. Like I'll incinerate to ashes right here. I want to. There isn't anything I can do. The tears stream downwards as if the liquid in my body is releasing, fulfilling my wish to dehydrate, to die. _I could just close my eyes. I could join Tony in a better place. I could be better off. I can't take this anymore. I seriously can't._ But, by some reason, I feel as if I can't do anything in that nature. Like I've developed a sense of fight instead of flight. I have to do something about this. I want to do something about this. Somehow. Someway. I have to be something more. I have to be the War Maiden. Not a force of vengeance. But a force for protection against this matter of chaos. A person to help those in need. At first I thought War Maiden was the name of something that kills ruthlessly. Without a second thought. This time I have developed a sense of what it can mean. _You can avenge them. Honor their deaths. It's what they'd want._


	6. Contemplating A Plan

Nick comes by moments later and sees me still carrying Tony's body. He must want to appear strong in front of me because he doesn't show any signs of hurt. "Rough day, huh?" He replies. I don't show anything to approve of it, and Nick helps me up into the copter. As I get in, I get a better look at Nick's face. More than pain, it seems. "SHIELD is compromised." He says like someone's stuck knives in him. I set Tony's body on the ground of the copter and I put my hand on his back, rubbing it reassuringly. "I'm sorry."  
>"We can still go to our base, though." He answers gladly.<p>

Moments later as we head back, I tell Nick about what I plan to do. To recover. Get a space suit. Find a way to cull the Ultron-bots, destroy them, and stop Ultron, luring him into space to freeze. After the drones are gone, there'll be nothing he can jump to. And he may not be able to adapt to the cold of space fast enough. Tony hasn't made that many armors, and Jarvis has a self-destruct mechanism in each one. Except that tin can armor, which doesn't have any computers anyway, and Ultron won't be able to hack into it. I'm sure there's something in the world somewhere he could jump to, but once high up enough into the sky, ice buildup could be enough to stop him. I'm not sure if this'll work or not, but it's better than wallowing around. Nick takes time to think about this, and as he does, he looks at me oddly with his good eye, answering finally. "So long as it works."

The closer we get to base, the more I question my plan. And the weaker I get. The blade in my R.T. has slowed my breathing and it's not as far in as I'd expect. "What about Tony?"

I look at his lifeless body and reply caringly. "Leave him be. I don't want him to change anymore than he has."

"Why did you bring him here? And not the others?"

I shrug my shoulders the best I can, and then I reply. "Tony's the one that meant the most to me. And he's the one I ended up carrying."

I want to bury him somewhere safe. Somewhere no one will disturb his place of solitude. Somewhere his good deeds will go to rest with him. The deeds where he saved people, not killing them. The one I fell in love with. And I still do. We reach the base and I bury a hole for Tony first. Nick stops me and insists on doing it instead in a sympathetic tone. "You recover. I'll do this."

I nod for approval and I give him the body as he gently settles it on the ground, picking up the axe and continues to dig a hole. I slowly walk towards to the grounds of the base and when people see the blade shoved almost halfway into my R.T., or when they see the blade protruding from it, they rush to my aid and escort me to the medical room. Hours later, I transform out of my armor and into a gown and I feel a little better as they slowly removed the blade from my chest, and giving me a newer one they had in store for Tony, and now for me. The armor would've worked around the chest as it worked off my body anyway. _No matter how many people rip out your heart, you're always given a better one._ It's a weird way to look at it, sure. And a gross way. But at least, I continue to live. There weren't that many wounds to nurse to, so I was given a short visit to the hospital room. Unless you count the wounds I've made efforts to recuperate from. Never mind the scars on my brain. I won't be mending that. And I may never will.

Ultron will, most likely, be drawn out by the destruction of his bots and come out for me and everyone else. So I have to be the first thing he sees. I decide to take some extra time in the medical room for safety's sake. Even if I've been cleared. When I think I've recovered, I go to the bathroom to change into my clothes that were laid out for me. Normal wear. Like everyone else. Even if SHIELD is dead, everyone still continues to work regardless. Just in lesser numbers. I stay in bed for a little longer, deciding to sleep for a while. Remembering how Nick said this was a spa resort of the sorts. _People don't go here to relax._ I think. I fade into sleep and imagine myself in a world where I was CEO of Stark Industries, and when there was no Iron Man. Nothing but what dream world my mind has forged. Even after what I've decided to do. Move on. The day I decided to be Rescue resurfaces as Tony comes into my room, snapping his fingers and remarking as he approaches closer to me. "Hey Pepp."

He has a pizza in his hand and gets out a napkin, setting it out on the table. Spreading the napkin out to put the pizza on it. Pepperoni pizza. I end up snickering as I joke. "Very funny."

I touch the crust and I look up at Tony. "It's cold."

He sits in a chair next to the table and shrugs his shoulders. "Not much you can do in rush hour."

Instead of being mad at him, I laugh at him. Smile back at him. He does the same. "The other two pizzas were warm, though."

As I remember his humor, it brings joy to me. "You should've seen the cars."

I type something into the computer and seconds later, Tony continues. "I think I saw one guy eating pizzas in his car, too."

I decide to say something after a while. "Well, the thought is generous, Tony. Thank you."

He moves around the desk and gives me a passionate kiss. Seconds later, he pulls away, saying, _I love you,_ into my ear. I wake up from my dream and I think I'm ready to carry out my plan once I feel recuperated enough. But I still feel like I need to do something else. I look at the ceiling and run my fingers through my chest again. I close my eyes and whisper as if Tony were here in a passionate, caring voice. Not with hurt. Holding my R.T., hovering my hands over it. "I love you, Tony."

I smile at the ceiling, snickering lightly. And then my face gets serious as I continue. "I'll remember you."

I'll remember you as I carry out my plan.


	7. One Last Battle?

I query to an engineer after asking for one to help make a Space Armor after telling him my plan, which he doesn't question. He wants to get rid of Ultron, too, and doesn't know if this'll go forth or not. I don't blame him. I reminisce about how Ultron said he'd destroy Humanity because it was flawed. He kept me alive because I was a _machine._ Oddly enough, it shocks me, too. Not expecting this. There's a chance he'll jump to my body instead of being left to drift precariously in space. Frozen. There's also a chance that Ultron would probably be too far from anything else to jump to it, and I'll be the next victim. So I'll have to ask Kelsey, my AI, to set up a self-destruct sequence in case Ultron jumps to my body. It's a risk I'll take to make sure that foul heap of madness, covered in Darwinism, never hurts anyone ever again.

I ask to get in front of a camera, and it's not working. So I ask Nick instead when I catch sight of him again. Also pointing out that we should turn on the Anti-Air Defenses for the drones. While Nick points out that the AA Defenses may not be the best, they'll be of some use. This is a smaller base, after all. When I suit up, I get in front of a camera and cull the drones. Rhodes meets up with me afterwards and says he can be of help, but all I tell him he'll be able to do is help take out the drones since I don't want him to be a risk when I try to stop Ultron. He takes it as something, at least, and goes to suit up into a new War Machine suit. It looks the same as it did before Ivan hacked his suit. _Ivan._

Ivan. I had forgotten all about him. No doubt he'll want to fight me sooner or later since I helped free Rhodes of his knockoff of Ultron. But after this, I don't plan on fighting, nor would I feel like it. All I'd want to do is resume with life. War Maiden's made for stopping Ultron. Whatever mechanized suit Ivan'd made would be considered a joke by now, but I still see him as a threat. A man that can replicate his own Iron Man suit is always a threat.

Moments later, we have the Defenses up and Rhodes is suited up. Outside with me on the roof ready to fight. The dreaded machine will see me and Rhodes, obviously going to attack him first since he's human. I'll taunt him to fight me. Or, the better option, fly into him and get him to fight me instead. I hadn't told anyone about what I'll do when Ultron jumps to my body. And I don't have the strength to tell them. I think of Nick. About how he keeps secrets. Is that what I've come to? Keeping secrets like him? Either he cares about people enough not to tell them dark secrets. Or he doesn't care at all. But I do care. And it'd hurt to tell everyone about what I'd do. The drones start coming and Rhodes and I stand ready.

We begin to attack with the Defenses, and take down the lucky drones that happen to make it through the wave of bombardment. About fifteen minutes later, the drones are gone and then Ultron comes by. Rhodes turns his head to me, nodding, and gives me my space to battle Ultron. And as expected, Ultron heads towards Rhodes. Rhodes flies away from the blast and I fly towards Ultron, giving him a punishing blow to the side of his helmet and he looks at me furiously. Exchanging the same I did to him.

It's almost blinding. Almost. But I try to recover and fly upwards as fast as I can, firing at him. He sees me as a threat now, and goes to attack me. Catching up earnestly. Almost too earnestly. I try to fly faster and exert the suit's limits to do it. I keep firing at him to keep his attention and he blasts back with his hand blast. Shooting off a shoulder plating.

There's another chance that he'll resist the effects of freezing in space, and he'll tear me apart so I can share the fate instead. As I seem to approach the reaches of space, Ultron begins to show signs of ice buildup. Having not encountered this kind of thing yet. He has to be thinking of a way to counter this. I know it. The farther we go, the more Ultron begins to freeze. He shouts back. "What are you planning to do?"

As he grabs my foot and yanks me downwards, he grabs my throat tightly, reminding in a dark, metallic voice that reverberates throughout my armor. The devoid, limitless reaches of space only able to hold so little of the words. "There is nothing you can do."

The longer we stay in space, the more Ultron begins to freeze. And the more the ice thaws. I activate the cryogenic programming and inform Kelsey mentally to prepare the self-destruct anyways. My suit begins to produce ice, freezing Ultron even more. I head butt him and he slowly drifts away. He swiftly recovers and then, as he flies towards me, at a hilariously slow speed in space, I watch him try to thaw. If I were to fire at him, it'd only travel the same speed as Ultron does right now. That'd be if this was the regular armor. Since it's not, I fire missiles at him, exploding with ice. It forms around with like a cloud, continuing until I think he's had enough. My systems experience a mixture between control and chaos. Ultron's trying to jump to my body. Kelsey's efforts aren't enough to stop it. I can't fire anymore of the missiles and I can just watch as Ultron begins to fly faster towards me. Shouting at me through the communicator in my helmet. "As I've said before. There is nothing you can do. And you will die here in the dark, cold, never-ending reaches of space. Left out to die like the world you tried to save."

He reaches me and gets face-to-face with me. "And no one will hear your screams of terror here."

He's about to rip apart my face plate as he remarks. "Even I won't. You will instantaneously succumb to the confines of space. You will be cryogenically suspended in seconds notice."

As he peels away my face plate, he makes one last remark. "Goodbye, Ms. Potts."

Next thing I know, my suit emit's a shockwave that affects his suit. My face plate seals back in place and I catch my breath like I'm being taught to breathe again. Even with the face plate slowly peeled away, I felt the death-inducing chill of space. Ultron grabs my face plate again and, before he can, I punch him away with cryogenic-studded gloves, smashing against his helmet and I fire ice from my Repulsor blast inside of him, releasing a device from the blast that erupts inside of Ultron, chilling the energies inside of him like I'd want him to be. Kelsey had to have a hand in this. Adapting as well. As he begins to freeze from the inside, the ice creeps out, freezing his outside and left to drift carelessly throughout space. I could've flown him to the sun, but it's too far away.

Kelsey must've emitted a shockwave that kept him from jumping bodies. I don't know how. And I don't question it. I'm just now catching my breath and I thank Kelsey instead. As I watch Ultron drift away, I fly back to the world, stopping myself to look at how Earth looks. So beautiful. So innocent. Much bigger than I'd imagine. Dwarfing me in size as if I were a mere grain of sand, and Earth is the ocean that surrounds the grain of sand. I'm breath taken by all of this. Unsure of what to think about it. I'm even more out of breath than when I was about to be introduced to cryogenic suspension like Ultron suggested. It's like one of those life-changing experiences you'll always remember. Turning your life around. I find myself smiling with joy, almost choked up, making out words that eventually form into: _If only you could see this, Tony._ I begin to said them aloud and when I do, I'm unaffected by his death. Kelsey exclaims to me. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Moments later, I decide to answer back in the most pleasant voice I've never made before. "You. Have. No idea."

I don't tell her to take a picture because I can appreciate the finer things in life without technology. I repeat what I just said to Kelsey and when I think I'm ready to return to the world, I fly back to the SHIELD Base. My suit resists the sensation of burning up, not falling apart like I thought it would. Guess the mechanic really thought this through. And Tony must've taught him well when he had the chance. Or when someone else did. As I reach the base, Rhodes waits outside the entrance for me. Out of his armor. Sitting on a bench. He's frowning at the floor. Hands folded together. I say his name and he looks up. His face lights up and he goes to hug me, exclaiming. "I can't believe you're alive."

I end up snickering with joy still. Still remembering what I saw. The Earth. How the city lights will never compare to the beauty that is the Earth itself. "I'm more than alive."


	8. The End

Days later, I find myself enjoying things more. But just because I saw the Earth for myself doesn't mean I'll be invincible against everything else. SHIELD has been reinstated, after some convincing, and some of the workers have come back. And you'd think all of this would be over by now. There's no one else to try and stop. There's Ivan. But I don't take him as a threat right now. I just enjoy that, despite the fact I suspended Ultron to cryogenic suspension, leaving him there, I can rest for now. Unless Ultron managed to jump bodies that far away or is working on a contingency plan. I don't think about it. I just focus on other things. I fly back to my home, reliving memories here. And rejoining with my Ever So Faithful Jarvis. Rhodes joins me, too. "Good Afternoon, Ms. Potts. I have heard how you stopped Ultron. Most exemplary work." Compliments Jarvis.

I feel almost flattered again. "Thank you, Jarvis."

The machines in the kitchen whir to life as I proceed further into the house. "Not going to be the same here." Adds Rhodes. And I know what he means. It feels so weird how it only affects me a little. "I can rearrange that. "Remark Jarvis.

A holographic image of Tony Stark is generated, walking towards me and Rhodes. "Hey Pepp. Hey Rhodey."

I can't help but laugh. "Good to see you back." Answers Rhodes. "You're a hologram. But still."

Tony shrugs. "Worse things have happened."

Tony's holding glasses of champagne and the third forms on a table. Tony gives us the glasses and he gets the one on the table. I'd have thought the glass would've fallen through my hand, but it doesn't. It stays in my hand still. Tony raises his glass to us as we do the same. "To peace."

We ding our glasses together and drink up. The champagne tastes _fantastic._ Rhodes and Tony play a chugging game to see who can drink more faster. Rhodes is at a disadvantage here. But since everything else seems real, I think Tony will react the same way a human does. Rhodes is in the military; however, I doubt he does breathing exercises for his kind of job. Tony, well…He's Tony. After about a minute of this, they give up at the same time. Tony gave up faster. They come out gasping for air, laughing. Rhodes rests his arm on Tony's shoulder, joking. "Too much for ya?"

Tony says in-between breaths. "Oh, no. I'm just getting started."

I head back to the bedroom as Rhodes and Tony continue to play a drinking game. After a while on the bed, I wake up to Jarvis's distorted voice. And Ivan trying to hack into his systems. As time passes, Jarvis begins to be even more distorted and Ivan's voice more definite. Tony's probably fading away by now. And he is. Ivan has full control of the systems in the house, and he talks through the speakers. "Found you with GPS. Very useful."

He begins to chuckle a little, continuing in a more serious voice. "I want to settle differences. Suit up. And we will finish this."

I talk back to Ivan a little less serious. "I can't."

He chuckles again. "Afraid, no? No surprise. I hacked your friend's suit. Turned him into killing machine. Would've killed you. Can still kill you."

I feel my systems being hacked almost. And I get what he's playing at. "Will still kill you. Here's deal. You fight me. I no hack systems. Deal?"

I was right. When I decide on the ways this can go wrong and how this can go right, and after enough of my systems being hacked, and Ivan getting impatient, I tell him I accept the deal. He stops hacking my systems and replies back. "See you soon."

And with that, he's gone. I ask Jarvis to find Ivan via GPS, and he starts searching. Doesn't take long either. When he finds him, I transform into my War Maiden suit and fly out of the building. Pretty sure Rhodes is on his way towards me, too. And he has to suit up unlike what I did. It was in a saved programming so I activated it. I meet up with Ivan near the Stark Expo, but inside a glass dome. I fly through a window and descend to the ground. Looking around for Ivan. Either Jarvis lied, which I don't think so, or he's hiding. I ask Kelsey to survey the area, and then I get a whip around the throat, melting away the armor plating slowly. But it's enough to keep me safe, at least. Next thing I know, my head is grabbed and I'm thrown across the creak that flows here. I try to get up on my feet again and I see him. He's in a giant, grey, mechanized suit with whips coming out of his gauntlets. Long, deadly whips. The gauntlets reel back into his gauntlets as Ivan's helmet opens up, revealing his face. "Evening."

I get up on my feet and Ivan walks a little closer to me before he comes to a stop. "Are you ready?"

I stand firmly but don't clench my fists. I'm not a fighter like he is, and I'm not in a hulking suit like he is. It's a little taller than me. I hear a sonic boom in the distance. _Rhodes._ Ivan looks to where I did. "Two for one special." He exclaims.

_Don't do this to me, Rhodes. Not again._ Rhodes enters the scene with the same armor he used to take out the drones with me. "Remember this suit, Ivan?"

"I do."

The whips shoot out of his gauntlet and then Rhodes complains. "Oh crap."

Rhodes's helmet shuts back down and then the battle begins. Ivan swings his whips at us as I blast out of the way of it. A gun shoots out from my shoulder, blasting Ivan back a little and causing some damage to his armor. Rhodes fires everything he can at Ivan and the whips keep coming. One even wrapped around his arm and flinging him against a rock, and into another. Dismounting his shoulder gun and doing serious damage to his suit. Not enough to take him out of the fight just yet. I fly towards him and land a kick to the helmet with my Repulsor blast coming out of it. Instead of wrapping me in his whip, he grabs me and lifts me up into the air, bashing my face in and the armor itself with his gigantic boot. Rhodes rams into him and punches his helmet. He ends up head butted and backhanded to the ground. He can't dodge the whip in time and I get up and grab his hand, jerking him back as well as I can, barely making effort. But it gets his attention off of Rhodes. He elbows me twice and wraps me in his whip, throwing me away like trash and through a bridge built here for display. I quickly recover when I hit the ground and fly towards Ivan again. As I do, I fire my gun again, firing everything I can at him. When I get closer, I punch him back as hard as I can. He takes a few steps back and Rhodes brings his elbow down on the armor's wrist as many times as he can to try and break it some. Ivan punches him back and I shoot out my gauntlet blades again, but using them as a shield as Ivan punches me. To my shock, they work better than expected.

The blades cut through Ivan's glove, and the blades are unscathed. With this discovery, I decide to let him wrap me up in a whip again, and I bring down my blade on his whip, cutting it. I struggle to free myself of the whips and cut them with my blade. Rhodes is pinned against a rock, getting beat up and I scream Rhodes's name again. In a time of stress, without thinking, I _drive_ my blade inside of Ivan. Through the R.T. of his armor. Impaling him. Killing him. I hear his last breaths and he looks at me through the helmet. As I remove the blade, I watch him fall to the ground. I put the blades back in my gauntlet and step back. Breath taken again. My legs get weak and I fall from underneath them. Rhodes, his armor beaten and battle torn, comes to comfort me. He puts his hand on my shoulder and we both remove out helmets to look at each other. Face-to-face. I look up at him. Afraid. Not having an answer for this. Guilty for what I did. "What's happening to me?"

He sits down beside me, his hand still on my shoulder. "I don't know."

I look at Ivan's body and I can't look away for some reason. Kelsey answers the question on both of our minds aloud. "You acted blindly in a time of utmost distress. And with the need to be War Maiden, you strayed away from who you once were. You wanted to help, and you utilized your grief and anger into a persona you could better release it."

_She's right._ War Maiden can't be a force for good. Not for me. It's not for me. I look at Rhodes with fear still, and he tries to make the situation better. "Rescue's a more suitable way for you to go."

He's right, too. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be." Replies Rhodes.

"What'd I do with the body?" I ask.

Rhodes stands up and helps me up, answering back as confused as me. "I don't know."

We hear a beeping sound. Rhodes tries to roll him over when he think it's coming from him. His R.T. is flashing red. So is his helmet. "BOMB!"

Rhodes and I put our helmets back on, and he flies away from the scene. I stay, trying to think of a way to save him. I can't. It's all my fault. No. He probably had it rigged anyways. I can't fly away. I can't move. I'm frozen. Rhodes comes to save me at the last minute and we escape to the house again. Taking robot's lives are different. Human lives mean more sentimental value. It only makes it worse than it should be. And I don't want to do it again.

Hours later, Jarvis has already removed War Maiden from my programming and restored Rescue. And I make it back to the other SHIELD Base and transform back to myself when I get there. Looking for Nick Fury. He's on the roof, overlooking the meadow. I meet up with him, standing side-by-side, on the side with his good eye, asking. "Didn't think you'd be the person to look at meadows."

"This wasn't my idea to put this base here."

He takes a deep breath. "And because I needed to be reminded of the good things in life."

I look at him, smiling almost. "Who's idea was it?"

He looks back at me like he's remembering a deep thought. "Coulson."

He frowns at the floor and then looks up to the meadow. "He knew that someone would need to be reminded that there is still beauty in this world."

It's true. I look at the meadow again and breathe in the scents. "It's amazing."

Nick chuckles a little. "You sound like Coulson."

"And you sound better." I remark.

He smiles a little, answering in a different tone. "Weird how things change, huh?"

He looks at me, smiling still. It disappears after a while. I nod for approval. "Yes, I think it is."

"You should know that there are more secrets that you need to know, but,"

He crosses his arms. "Not right now. Because sometimes, you don't need to know everything about someone."

I nod again and I ask him. "Will that be all?"

"Yes, that will be all."

As I leave, I take one last look at the meadow, and fly away. As I fly away, I remember what it is I need to do. Remember why I do what I do. To Rescue. And I came close to losing myself, and I couldn't have saved myself. And it was bound to happen again. _Weird how things change, huh?_ Yes Nick, you have no idea. And this is what the Avengers would really want. And this is what I want even more. This is what Tony knows me as, also.

"Kelsey, open audio logs."

She opens them and responds. "There are currently no audio logs. Would you like to make one?"

"Yes. Record in Tony's voice."

Seconds later, she answers back. "What would you like it to say?"

I smile at the thought of what I'm going to say, and how amazing it'll feel to have it remind me every time I put the suit on and easily accessible. I take a second to revel in the moment as I let out the three words. "I love you."


End file.
